I wonder how the transitive/intransitive usages break down in numbers. I'm not sure I've ever seen arrogate used in the sense of assigning something to someone else. It's always 'to oneself'. So I arrogate to you the onus of looking that up. (Doesn't work, does it?)

Polite society may accept tuchus, but I wonder about the diminutives. They don't quite fit in there, do they? Too childish sounding?

Polite society may accept tuchus, but my spellchecker doesn't. It suggests schuss instead. I guess I'll have to add it, eh? Or just give it a kick in the schuss?

For quick reference, here's icky at etymonline.

Good Word for 5/15/2024: • tabernacle • Pronunciation: tæ -bêr-næ-kêl • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A moveable dwelling or booth, a tent, a hut or lean-to. 2. (Tabernacle) A sacred moveable structure (tent) in which the Israelites transported the Ark of the Covenant. 3. (Tabernacle) A...

Nice coincidence just now; I turned on my local classical station and opened this word at the same time. The music playing was the tail end of Mussorgsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain', a very delicate and beautiful coda.

How was it used where you saw it? Where was it? I'm pretty sure it's onomatopoeic for the squeak of fearful surprise. Or is that echoic?

Not related to aver (treated here and here), and actually suggested 3 other times (here, here, here), but somehow still un-doctored.

Dictionary.com has another theory for the etymology of loupe: 1905–10; < French, originally an imperfect gem, a mass of hot metal ≪ Germanic; loop3 , lob1 Not particularly satisfying, if you ask me. Making it a 20th century coinage is one pretty big stumbling point. Unless, of course, the two loupes...

For whatever reason, I have a hard time remembering the position of the stress in this word. I keep going for something along the lines of 'ah-fee-ahns'. Influenced by affluence, I guess. Now, if only I could get afinanced, I could get that car I want.

Hey, I even got some Spanish out of this one. Now when I see a menu item that says 'pastor', I'll know that it means something along the lines of 'shepherd's pie' or such. Someone told me it meant pork, and I couldn't figure that one out.

Taken up and treated here.

I may have been born in the Vanderbilt Hospital, but we moved, so I tested out as only 39% Dixie.

I think of apprise mostly in conjunction with 'situation'.

An underling might apprehensively apprise the boss of a less-than-ideal situation. Not just assonance there, but a shared root. Cool!

The recent activity of the sun made me look this one up, and here it is. Borealis and Australis could be tossed in there with it, too. It's been rainy in my world, but perhaps someone out there got a chance to see the show recently.

I'm just quibbling with the 'niggling' bit, as it makes it sound less important than I take the nitty-gritty to be.